


My Favorite Superhero

by TrashcanMarvelFan (cajungirlkye)



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Minor appearances by various Avengers, Not Canon Compliant, POV Alternating, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-14 00:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 12,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12995601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cajungirlkye/pseuds/TrashcanMarvelFan
Summary: Scott and the reader meet when they run into each other in the hall of their apartment building. As their friendship blossoms into more, will Scott tell her his biggest secret?





	1. Y/N

**Author's Note:**

> Because there aren't enough Scott Lang/Reader fanfics floating around out there.
> 
> This started out as a 'first meeting' one-shot & snowballed into a full-length, multi-chapter fic, so please forgive the time skips in later chapters.
> 
> Takes place post-Civil War, and ignores the Spider-man: Homecoming move upstate since it was technically written before the film came out. (Or you can pretend that they've already moved back to NYC).

_Finally,_ Y/N thought as she finished climbing the stairs to her apartment floor. _I can't wait to settle in & binge-watch Netflix all weekend. _ She started single-handedly rummaging around in the bag she had slung over her shoulder, looking for her apartment key. _Should've looked for my key while I was still downstairs_ , she thought grumpily _._

"Oof," she grunted as she rounded the corner and was knocked down by a man heading in the opposite direction. The impact caused the carry-out container that Y/N was holding to go flying, along with the sesame chicken and lo-mein that was contained therein. "Oh, Jesus, I'm so sorry," the man exclaimed.  "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Y/N muttered.   _Well, there goes dinner for tonight,_ she thought. She looked up and her breath caught.

The man was gorgeous and exuded just a hint of a bad-boy vibe. He was a bit on the short side but was obviously pretty built, and had dark hair and piercing green eyes. He was wearing jeans, a black T-shirt and a leather motorcycle jacket and had obviously been in a hurry to get somewhere.

The man stuck out his hand to help Y/N up. "I'm Scott. Scott Lang. I live just down the hall in 10-C."

"Y/N," Y/N replied, taking his hand and climbing to her feet. "I just moved into 6-C a few days ago." She grimaced as she picked a noodle off of her blouse.

"Jeez, I'm so sorry. Let me buy you dinner,” Scott offered. “It's the least I can do after causing you to spill yours."

"That's alright," Y/N said. "I can call and order something in. Besides, I'm sure you were headed out somewhere. I don't want to keep you."

"Nowhere important," Scott replied. "Please, I insist."

Y/N looked at the handsome green-eyed man. "Ok then," she finally relented. "But give me a few minutes to change into something that doesn't have sauce all over it?"

Scott smiled. "Sure. I'll pick you up in, say, 20 minutes?"

Y/N nodded. "Ok. 20 minutes."

*************************************************************************************

"So, Scott, what do you do?" Y/N asked between bites of her burger.

Scott hesitated for a moment. "I'm in... security."

“Oh, so you’re a security guard?”

“Um, not exactly. More like a... consultant. It’s nothing interesting.  What about you?” he asked quickly. “What do you do?”

Y/N tilted her head slightly as she studied Scott for a second before answering. “I just started a position as a librarian at NYU.” She picked up a fry and chewed it thoughtfully before asking, “so are you from around here?”

“San Francisco, actually,” Scott replied. “The… uh… security company I work for is headquartered here, so I relocated.”

“Me too,” Y/N said, then added, “relocated for work, I mean. I'm actually from the south.”

“Huh, you don't really have much of an accent.”

Y/N tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “It mostly just comes out when I'm not really thinking clearly, like if I'm tired or stressed.”

“Do you have family back home?” Scott asked.

Y/N nodded. “My parents are still in the house I grew up in and my brother and sister-in-law don't live far from them. I talk to them a lot though - we started video chatting every week when I moved to go to grad school. My nephew just turned three, so I at least sort of get to watch him grow up, even if it’s mostly through a computer screen.”

“Yeah, I understand.” Scott sighed, fiddling with the salt shaker. “My daughter lives with my ex-wife and her husband because we didn't want to make her switch schools since she’s in an accelerated learning program, so I don't get to see her too often except when I go back to San Fran for holidays, but at least she spends the summer here with me.”

Y/N smiled. Scott talked about his daughter with such pride. “How old is she?” she asked.

“She’s 12,” Scott replied. “Old enough to where I have to start worrying about boys but still young enough to think her old dad is cool.” He grinned.

“Was your divorce hard on her? I'm divorced too, and it was difficult enough to go through without having a kid stuck in the middle.”

“Not really. She was really young when my ex and I divorced, and there were...uh… circumstances that I really couldn't fight at the time. But it’s worked out.”

Y/N & Scott continued chatting long after they had finished eating & Scott had paid the check. Eventually Y/N looked around the empty diner and noting the time on her phone said, “oh my goodness it's late! We should probably head back.”

Checking his own phone, Scott said, “oh man, yeah. Wow. I didn't realize how late it is.”

He glanced at Y/N and crooked a grin. “Time really flies when you’re having fun, huh?”

Y/N grinned back. “Yeah, I guess it does.”

Y/N and Scott walked the few blocks back to their apartment building. When they got to Y/N’s door, Scott said, “I had a really nice time tonight.”

“So did I,” Y/N replied. “I’ve only been in town a few days so I really hadn't had a chance to venture out yet. I’ve pretty much only seen the NYU campus and my apartment since I’ve been here.”

Scott chuckled. “Say, um… If you’re not busy tomorrow maybe we could hang out again,” he suggested, rubbing the back of his neck. “I can be your own personal tour guide, show you all the really cool spots.”

“I’d like that.” Y/N bit her lip. “That is, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No, I'd really like to,” Scott insisted. “I’ll pick you up at 9?”

“Ok, see you then.”

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Goodnight, Scott.”

After showering and getting ready for bed, Y/N pulled out her laptop and opened her internet browser.

 _Scott Lang, San Francisco_ , she typed into Google's search engine, and clicked on the first article that came up. Her eyes widened as she read. _Wow,_ she thought. _No wonder he was being secretive._


	2. Scott

Promptly at 9 the next morning, Scott rang Y/N’s doorbell. Y/N opened the door and let Scott in, although she looked nervous. “You want some coffee before we go?” she asked, a slight hint of her Southern accent in her voice. 

“Sure,” Scott replied. He sat on Y/N’s sofa. She handed him his coffee, sat opposite him and took a deep breath.

I...um… I Googled you last night,” she began. “And I know your secret.” 

Scott froze, his coffee cup halfway to his mouth. “What secret?” he asked nervously.  _ How can she possibly know? I've been so careful not to have my identity get blown… Oh God, is she HYDRA? I told her about Cassie - I’ll never forgive myself if something happened to her! _

Y/N blew into her coffee cup and took a sip before responding. “Um… I first just want to say that it’s ok and it doesn't change my opinion of you, and actually I think you’re pretty noble.”

_ Ok, wait, she’s probably not HYDRA since she actually told me that she knows about me instead of just trying to kill me, but how did she find out? That whole business at Pym Tech was covered up as an experiment gone wrong, there aren't any pictures of me in the suit with my helmet off, and I know there was that one close call with that really hot reporter, but Cap stopped me before I could make an idiot of myself. _

“I can explain that-” he began.

“That was a very Robin Hood-esque thing you did, stealing that money back that VistaCorp stole from their clients.”

Scott's inner freakout came to a screeching halt. “You know that I’ve been arrested before?” He asked.  _ Wait, THAT’S the secret she knows?  Not that I'm Ant-Man? _

Y/N nodded. “I'm sorry, it was a very nosy thing to do but I was curious about you - and I mean, research is kinda my thing as a librarian - so I Googled your name last night thinking that maybe I'd stumble across your social media accounts or something, but instead I ran across a news article about your hacking into VistaCorp.”

Scott breathed a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed. “Yeah, well, it’s not exactly something I like to brag about,” he said, “especially since, you know, I got caught & everything.” He grinned and took a sip of his coffee.

“You definitely didn't deserve to get fired for calling the executives out on it. There are whistleblower laws to protect people against stuff like that. I honestly don't think you deserved to get 3 years in prison for stealing the money back either. I mean yes, it’s a morally gray area but it was for a good cause.”

Scott shrugged. “It’s in the past and I've managed to turn my life around since then. Everything’s worked out for the best.” He finished his coffee and stood. “You ready?” 

“Sure, let me grab my stuff.” When Y/N disappeared into her bedroom Scott shot off a quick text to Tony.

**Need background check on Y/N ASAP. She just moved into my apartment building. You should be able to get her info from her apartment lease.**

Tony texted back almost immediately.

**So** **_that’s_ ** **the reason you blew off poker night last night. Is she hot??? I bet she’s hot.**

Scott rolled his eyes. **That’s beside the point.** **Just do it. Making sure that my new neighbor isn't a HYDRA agent.**

Tony texted back again, immediately switching to serious mode at the mention of HYDRA.  **Ok. Give me a couple hours since I have to dig up her info.**

Scott put his phone back in his pocket as Y/N walked out of her bedroom with her tennis shoes on and a light jacket slung over her shoulders. “Ready,” she said, grabbing her keys and following Scott out of the door.

They made their way to Central Park and wandered around there for a bit before heading toward Times Square. On the way Scott pointed out the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and finally the Museum of Modern Art. Y/N’s eyes lit up when she saw MoMA. “Oh!” She exclaimed. “I have to go there soon. I’m a huge fan of Van Gogh,” she rushed on, the lilt in her voice becoming more pronounced with every word, “and Starry Night is my favorite painting of all time. I've always wanted to see it in person.”

Scott checked his watch. The museum was just about to open and his plan for lunch could wait a while… of course that was if Tony got back with him about that background check and Y/N didn't turn out to be a HYDRA agent or some other baddie. “We’ve got time if you want to go now,” he said.

Y/N grinned excitedly. “Really?”

Scott laughed. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go.”

They paid their admission at the museum and found their way to the Van Gogh exhibit.  Y/N gasped when she saw  _ Starry Night _ . “Oh my gosh, it’s so beautiful,” she breathed. “Look at the way Van Gogh used the contrast of light & darkness, the way the brush strokes imitate the shining of stars, the imperfections in the canvas… it‘s breathtaking.”

Scott had been watching Y/N during her monologue. “It is,” he said before his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. Tony’s name flashed up on the screen. “I'm so sorry, but I have to take this. It’s work. I’ll be right back,” he promised, and Y/N nodded before turning back to the painting.

“Tony, whatddya got for me?” 

“I was right,” Tony said by way of greeting. “She IS hot. Way to go, bro.”

Scott rolled his eyes. 

“Y/N, age 33, originally from some unpronounceable French-named town in southern Louisiana,” Tony continued, “graduated with a Bachelor's degree in creative writing from LSU, Master’s degree in library science from Kent, moved to New York a week ago after accepting a position at NYU, divorced, no kids…”

“So she checks out?” Scott asked, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Nothing’s raising any red flags. Couple minor traffic violations from years ago, so the fact that she has a paper trail means she actually exists and it isn’t using an alias. I think you’re good. Why were you suspicious of her?”

“Something she said - she said that had looked me up & that she ‘knew my secret’ so I automatically assumed she knew about… work… but it turns out it was about the VistaCorp thing. I was just playing it safe by checking her out.”

“Well it looks like you’re in the clear, man. Where are you, anyway? Why are you whispering?”

“I'm at MoMA with Y/N. I had offered to take her on a tour of Manhattan today since she was new to the area and we decided to stop in here.”

“Well have fun on your date, man. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!” Tony chuckled before hanging up.

Scott shook his head and made his way back to Y/N, who was still studying  _ Starry Night _ .

“Everything ok?” She asked him.

Scott smiled back at her. “Yep, everything’s good.”

He felt a lot more relaxed after his phone call with Tony. He was really glad that Y/N checked out. He liked spending time with her, getting to know her. He hadn't felt such an instant connection with anyone in a long time. It was dangerous for him to date since he was Ant-Man, so he hadn't actually dated anyone in a few years.  _ But if she doesn't know about me being Ant-Man… _

They wandered around the museum for a little while longer and after checking his watch Scott suggested they grab some lunch. They walked through Times Square to a restaurant that served the best chicken shawarma in New York, at least, in Scott’s opinion.  He frequently ate here with the Avengers - out of uniform, of course.

After they ate they continued their tour of New York, until Scott finally took Y/N by the newly rebuilt Avengers HQ. 

“Wow, that’s so cool!” Y/N exclaimed, staring up at the tower. 

“It is, isn't it?” Scott replied. “I thought so too when I first came to New York.”

“Wow, to think that the Avengers are really this close.”

“So, who's your favorite?” Scott asked, then said, “wait, let me guess - Iron Man. Or is it Captain America? All the ladies love Captain America.”  _ Which is funny since Steve still doesn't understand his appeal. _

Y/N shook her head and grinned. “Actually… you'll probably laugh at me if I told you.” 

Scott crossed his heart. “I promise I won't laugh.”

“Ant-Man.”

Scott grinned. “Ant-Man? Really?”

“You promised you wouldn't laugh!” Y/N swatted at his arm, her face flushing crimson. 

“I'm not, I swear.” Scott couldn't help but feel proud. HE was Y/N’s favorite Avenger.  _ Take that, Tony!  _ “So why Ant-Man?”

“I don't know, there's just something about him. He’s not flashy - he stays out of the spotlight. He’s heroic but doesn't expect anything in return. He helps people but doesn't stick around to bask in the glory. He’s got mystery. He & Spider-Man are the only ones who have kept their real identities secret.” 

Scott nodded. “I can see how he would be your favorite.”

“What about you? Who's yours?”

Scott shrugged. “Oh, I really couldn't pick a favorite.”   _ Especially since everyone I didn’t name would more than likely kick my ass.  _ “They're all cool - I mean, seem cool.” 

They continued walking until they made their way back to their apartment building. Y/N stopped in front of her door. “I had a lot of fun today. Thanks for taking me around the city.”

“I had a lot of fun too. I don't get to do the touristy thing too often, so it’s nice to get out & just wander around, especially with such good company.”

Y/N smiled shyly. “Do you, umm… that is, would you like to come in? I was going to make spaghetti for supper. You’re welcome to join me, unless you're busy tonight.”

“No, no plans for tonight. I'd love to have dinner with you. Let me go run back to my apartment to grab a bottle of champagne to go with dinner and I'll be right back.”

“Great!” 

Scott waited until Y/N was inside before heading to his own apartment. He changed his shirt, combed his hair down that had been wind-blown during their walk, grabbed the bottle of some expensive champagne that Tony had given him for Christmas, and headed back to Y/N’s apartment. 


	3. Y/N

“Come on in, Scott!” 

Y/N smiled at Scott as he walked in. “Sorry I couldn't answer the door - I decided to go ahead and make the meatballs since they need to bake before I add them to the sauce.” She gestured toward the couch with her elbow before sliding a pan into the oven. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Scott walked over & put the bottle of champagne on the counter. “I wouldn't mind helping you cook,” he said. “I'm not the world's greatest chef, but spaghetti I can do.” He turned to the sink to wash his hands.

“Oh well if you don't mind,” Y/N said. “If you could keep an eye on the sauce while I prep the salad I’d appreciate it.”

“No problem.” Scott grabbed the spoon and stirred the marinara sauce. 

“It's just jarred tomato sauce, but I do jazz it up a bit,” Y/N explained. “Could you grab the grated Parmesan cheese and the dried parsley & basil from the pantry on your right?”

“Sure.” Scott found the ingredients and set them next to the stove. 

Y/N finished prepping the salad then moved it to the table. “I can take over the sauce now.” She washed her hands and moved to the stove. She added the cheese and herbs to the sauce, stirred them in, and grabbed an extra spoon to give it a taste.  Satisfied, she glanced over to find Scott watching her. “What?” 

Scott smirked. “You have a little sauce…” He motioned to his mouth.

Y/N wiped her mouth. “Got it?”

Scott shook his head and stepped closer to her. Y/N’s heartbeat sped up as Scott reached up and wiped at the corner of her mouth with his thumb, then let his hand linger on her face. “There,” Scott said softly, searching Y/N’s eyes with his own.

Y/N’s lips parted slightly, she leaned in slowly, and --

*BEEEEEEEEEEEP*

\-- whirled around to see the timer on the oven going off.


	4. Scott

_ Dammit _ , Scott inwardly swore. That was the perfect moment to kiss Y/N, and it was interrupted by her oven. Yes, they had only known each other a few days, but they had already been out together twice - and while those may not have officially counted as dates, he definitely felt the chemistry between himself & Y/N, who was now busy adding the meatballs to the pasta sauce and getting the spaghetti cooking. “Dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes or so,” she said, still facing the stove. “Would you like a glass of wine while we wait? I have a bottle of Stella Rosa in the fridge that I had opened last night.”

“Sure,” Scott agreed, glad to have something to do besides curse the oven timer. He pulled two wine glasses from Y/N’s wine rack, gave them a cursory rinse, then uncorked the bottle that Y/N handed him and poured them each a generous glass. He watched as Y/N gave her glass a small swirl and took a sip. “Mmmm… wonderful.”

Scott took a sip of his own glass of wine. “Wow, this is really good,” he said in surprise, then took another sip. “I wasn't expecting it to be sweet.”

Y/N laughed. “I think it's probably more of a dessert wine usually, but I'm not really a fan of other red wines since they’re so dry. But strangely, I’ll drink dry white wines and actually prefer my champagnes dry.” She grinned. “I'm a teensy bit of a wine snob.”

Scott grinned back. “Hey, you know what you like. Nothing wrong with that.”

_ Nothing wrong with that at all _ .

He was just about to suggest that they sit on the couch while they wait when Y/N’s phone rang. She glanced at it and said, “It's my sister-in-law. I'm sorry, I have to take this. I'll just be a minute, you don't have to go anywhere.”

“No problem”, Scott said. He wandered into the adjacent living room as Y/N answered her phone.

“Hello? Oh hi. No, I was just making some spaghetti. My neighbor took me around the city today so I invited him over for dinner.” She paused. “His name's Scott.” Scott tried not to listen in but couldn't help but perk up when his name was mentioned. Y/N’s voice dropped to a hushed whisper. “I'll tell you all about him later.” Another pause. “Yes he’s hot, but I said later!” Her voice went back to a normal range. “What? Awww, ok, put him on.” 

Obviously someone else had come to the phone because Y/N got a huge grin on her face. “Hi, Peanut! You did? That's awesome! What books did y'all read? Ooh, that's one of my favorites! And what else? You did? Wow! Way to go, buddy! You're such a good helper. Ok, sweet pea. Put your mommy back on the phone, ok? I love you!” Scott figured that must've been Y/N’s nephew. 

“I'll have to send him a copy of that book so he can have his own. No, I don't mind. Of course I can't ever buy him too many books - it's my job to spoil him!” She chuckled. “Uh-huh. Well, I have to go - the spaghetti's almost done - but I'll call you tomorrow, ok? Yes, I promise. Uh-huh. Give the boys kisses for me. Ok. Bye.”

Scott stood back up as Y/N ended the call. “Sorry about that,” she said. “I normally talk to my family on Sundays but my nephew was bugging my sister-in-law to call me so he could tell me all about a book they read at Storytime today. We’ve been reading to him since he was born - with my sister-in-law being a teacher and me being a librarian, he was definitely going to be raised a reader - so he gets really excited about books." 

"Aww, that's really cute," Scott replied. "And it's fine. I completely understand - I talk to Cassie whenever I get a chance, no matter what I'm doing or wherever I am. It's hard being so far away from her."

Y/N nodded. "I try to stay in touch as much as possible through phone calls and Skype, and while I was in school I'd visit during the holidays." She drank the last little bit of her wine and rinsed her glass out. "I think everything is ready."

"Ok." Scott finished his wine as well and rinsed his glass out. Y/N gave the spaghetti sauce one more stir, drained the noodles, and handed Scott a plate. 

Scott shook his head. "Ladies first."

“No, I was always taught that guests go first.” Y/N affected a thicker, 'Southern Belle' accent. “It's 'good Southern manners'.”

Scott laughed. "Well, if you insist." 

He fixed his plate and waited for Y/N to fix hers before sitting down at the table.  He poured them each a glass of champagne and handed Y/N her glass before raising his. "A toast," he said, "to new friends and neighbors."

Y/N smiled and raised her own glass. “To new friends and neighbors.”

********************************************************************************

After dinner, Scott insisted on helping with the dishes, so he washed while Y/N dried & put away. Scott was trying to figure out a way to extend the evening when Y/N suggested, “Say, it's still early, so if you're not too tired perhaps we can watch a movie or something.”

“That sounds fun,” Scott replied.

“My movie collection is in that cabinet in the living room, but if you can't find anything you want to watch in there we can pick something off of Netflix."

Scott was pretty sure he'd find something to watch as soon as he opened Y/N’s movie cabinet. Y/N had hundreds of DVDs & Blurays - movies ranging from chick-flicks to straight-up horror films, and every genre in-between.

Y/N finished putting the last of the dishes away & joined Scott in the living room where he was still studying her movie collection.

“You have quite a variety of movies,” he remarked. 

Y/N chuckled and shrugged. “I have eclectic tastes.” 

Scott selected a movie off the shelf and handed it to Y/N.

Y/N put the movie in her Blu-ray player & joined Scott on the couch, although she left a few inches of space between them. 

“I've never see this one,” Scott said as the opening credits rolled:  _ Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. _

“I've watched it a few times, although it’s been a while,” Y/N replied. “I like the guy that plays Tommy.”

Scott recognized the actor when he came on screen. “Oh yeah, I've seen this guy in a few movies. Paul something-or-other. He’s pretty good.”

They watched in silence for a while, although Scott was finding it difficult to concentrate on the movie.  He kept thinking about their almost-kiss in the kitchen.  _ If only the timer hadn't gone off.  _ He had purposely picked a horror movie because he was hoping Y/N would be scared and move closer to him. He realized how cliche' the ' _ oh here, I'll protect you from the fictional bad guy by putting my arm around you _ ' move was, but here he was, trying to figure out how to pull it off like some teenager.  _ No wonder it's been forever since I've been on a date _ . His relationship with Hope had cooled almost as fast as it had heated up. She always seemed more interested in the suit than in Scott, and once she found out that Hank had been working on a Wasp suit for her that was all she cared about. 

Scott sighed. 

“Are you ok?” Y/N asked him, pausing the movie. “If you're not into this we can watch something else, or we can call it a night.”

“No, I'm fine,” Scott replied. “Just thinking about some stuff, that's all.” 

Y/N turned toward Scott and propped her legs up on the couch.

“Anything you want to talk about? I've been told I'm a good listener.”

“Ah, it's nothing. I’m good.”

“Ok, that’s fine. No pressure.”

“Hey, um, while you’ve got the movie paused…” Scott cleared his throat awkwardly. “Would you like to go out next Saturday? Like on an official date, I mean. I have two invitations to Tony Stark’s gala that evening that I got through my company. Would you like to go with me?”

Y/N smiled broadly. “I’d love to.”

“Great! I’ll pick you up at seven?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Scott thought maybe he was imagining it, but when Y/N rearranged herself to start the movie back up he could’ve sworn she was sitting closer to him.

Scott wound up staying through 2 movies before declaring it late and heading back to his apartment. Before leaving he gave Y/N a hug. “I’ll see you Saturday, if I don’t run into you before then,” he said with a grin. “Hopefully not literally though.”

Y/N shrugged and shot him a shy smile. “I don’t know, it actually worked out pretty well for me last time.” She gave Scott a kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight, Scott.”

“Night, Y/N. Thanks for dinner and the movies.”

“Anytime. I enjoyed your company.”

After Y/N closed the door behind him, Scott thought,  _ Man, it’s going to be a long week. _ He had a date to plan.


	5. Y/N

Y/N was surprised the following Thursday at work when Claire, her co-worker, knocked on her office door while she was cataloging a shipment of books. “Hey, Y/N, there’s someone here to see you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, some guy came in asking for you. He’s kinda hot.”

Y/N walked out into the main part of the library and smiled when she saw Scott standing at the reference desk. “Hey, Scott, what’s up?” she asked, giving him a brief hug.

“Well, I was in the neighborhood and I didn’t want to have to wait until Saturday to see you, so I was wondering if maybe you’d like to grab lunch with me?”

“Sure, let me just grab my purse.” Y/N let Claire know that she was heading to lunch, which earned her a ‘girl you’ve been holding out on me so you better tell me EVERYTHING when you get back’ look, then she & Scott walked out onto the NYU campus.

“I only have an hour for lunch, so do you mind if we eat near here? There’s a burger place that’s close by and is really good. They’re quick & usually not too crowded this time of day.”

“That’s fine,” Scott replied. “I have a meeting at work in about an hour and a half anyway, but I really wanted to see you since I was nearby.”

Y/N smiled. “Yeah, our paths haven’t really been crossing the past few days, huh?”

Scott shook his head. “Actually, I had to go out of town for work on Sunday - sudden security crisis that needed to be handled. I just got back late last night. That’s what the meeting is for - debriefing.”

“Oh, wow. Everything ok?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine now. My co-workers and I handled it.”

“Well I’m glad to hear that.”

They walked into the diner and found a table. After placing their orders Scott asked, “So how have you been?”

“I’ve been good,” Y/N said. “Gearing up for the new semester. We got a bunch of new books in that my predecessor had ordered before he retired, so I’ve been cataloging those. Students will start to come in to do research for their classes pretty early in the semester, so I have to get everything organized before then.”

“That’s a pretty impressive library. I had to ask 3 different people where the special collections were. I didn’t realize that it was a library within a library.”

Y/N laughed. “Yeah, it can be confusing. I’m still learning my way around there. On Tuesday I took a wrong turn and wound up in the men’s room instead of my office.” They laughed.

The TV in the corner by the bar caught Y/N’s eye. “Oh hey, look, the Avengers are on TV.”

A news reporter was covering a story about an apparent incident that had happened a couple of days prior, in which the Avengers had to battle an evil scientist bent on destroying the world.

“Wow, there sure are some crazies out there,” Y/N remarked. “I’m glad we have the Avengers to keep us safe.”

“Especially Ant-Man, right?” Scott grinned, glancing back at Y/N as the segment ended.

Y/N blushed. “Hey, he’s cool, alright? Just because he's not showy like the rest of them doesn't mean--” She stopped when she realized that Scott was just joking with her. “Oh. Sorry.”

Scott laughed good-naturedly. “No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't tease you like that, but you’re just really cute when you’re flustered. I like it when your accent comes out.”

Y/N blushed again. “Thanks.” She was spared from further embarrassment by the arrival of their food, which they hurried to eat so Y/N could get back to work on time.

After they finished, Scott insisted on walking Y/N back to her office. “I’ll see you Saturday?” he asked.

Y/N nodded. “See you then.”

Scott gave Y/N a kiss on her cheek and turned to walk to the elevators.

Claire cornered Y/N as soon as Scott was out of earshot. “Ok, spill.”

“That was my neighbor,” Y/N explained.

“The one that ran into you Friday night? Damn girl, he fine. I want to move into your building if it gets me neighbors like that.”

Y/N grinned. “Actually, he asked me out on a date for Saturday. We’re going to a party that Tony Stark is hosting.”

“You go girl!” Claire clapped her hands in delight. “Have you picked out an outfit?”

“Well, no, not really.  I was just going to wear something that I usually wear here.”

Claire looked horrified. “Oh, no no no…  You can’t wear something like…” She gestured to Y/N’s outfit. “...THAT out with Mr. Hottie McNeighborson, ESPECIALLY to one of Tony Stark’s parties, which are rumored to be legendary. We’re going shopping as soon as we get off of work.”

Y/N looked at what she was wearing. “ What's wrong with what I have on?”

“Nothing, if you're going for the 'naughty librarian' look,” Claire laughed. “Honestly, it's fine for work, but this is your first date with this guy - you need to wear something special.”

Y/N sighed. “Augh, fine.”

Claire grinned. “Trust me, we’ll find the perfect outfit for you.”

************************************************************************************

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Right before it was time to leave, Claire appeared in Y/N’s doorway with a gleam in her eye. “You ready?” she asked.

Y/N shut down her computer. “Honestly? Not really.” She laughed.

Claire shook her head. “You're going out with a super hot guy who surprised you at your workplace in order to take you out to lunch because he couldn't wait 2 more days to see you. He’s obviously into you, so you owe it to both yourself & him to look hot for your date.”

“I know,” Y/N replied. “I just hate shopping for new clothes. I can never find anything I like.”

“Oh honey, you’re in New York now! Trust me, I know just the place.”

Claire took Y/N to a department store near the University where Y/N tried on several dresses but nothing seemed to work.  She had almost given up when a dress caught her eye. “Oh, wow, I love this!”

“Try it on,” Claire urged.

Y/N took it into the dressing room and emerged a minute later.

Claire clasped her hands together. “That's it. That's the dress.”

“You think so?” Y/N looked at herself in the mirror.

“Definitely.”

Y/N checked the price tag. “Well, it's not as expensive as I thought it would be…”

“Trust me, that dress will knock his socks off,” Claire insisted. “And speaking of socks, I know JUST the shoes that'll go with it. Come on.”


	6. Scott

The following night, Scott was at the local Avengers’ weekly poker night. The weekdays were all business, but unless they were on a mission, Friday evenings were reserved for poker at Avengers HQ. Usually Scott was all in, but this week, however, his mind was elsewhere.

The group was a few hands in when Tony said, “So, Scott, you never did tell us about your hot new neighbor.”

“Hot new neighbor?” Sam chimed in. “What hot new neighbor?”

“It’s nothing,” Scott replied. “Just someone new who moved in down the hall from me.”

“Oh, it’s something all right.” Tony smirked. “The reason Scotty boy here missed poker last week is because he was busy getting his flirt on with a certain Ms. Y/F/N Y/L/N.”

Scott was bombarded with a chorus of “Ooh”, “Way to go, Scott!”, and “the utmost of congratulations,” the latter being from Vision.

Scott sighed. “I accidentally ran into her in the hall when I was on my way out to come here and caused her to spill her dinner all over herself.  The least I could do was offer to replace it.”

Sam snorted. “Sure dude.”

“Actually, I think that was a very gentlemanly thing to do,” Steve countered as Peter walked in the door.

Tony laughed. “Yeah, Scott was so gentlemanly, he asked her out again the next day.”

“Wait, how do you even know all that?” This was directed at Tony by Natasha.

“I wanted to make sure she wasn’t HYDRA, so I had Tony do a background check on her and he called while we were at the Museum of Modern Art on Saturday,” Scott explained. “We can’t be too careful - You know what happened when Peter was interested in a girl.”

“THAT WAS ONE TIME!” Peter yelled from the kitchen where he had gone to get a soda and drop off his backpack. “How was I supposed to know her dad was the bad guy?” 

“So, two dates in two days, huh? That’s impressive,” Steve said.

Scott shrugged. “She had just moved here. I was being neighborly and offered to show her around the city. And those weren’t dates… well the tour of New York didn’t start out as one, really.” Scott explained that after their tour he wound up having dinner and watching a movie at Y/N’s, leaving out the detail of their almost-kiss. “I did ask her out on an actual date though - for tomorrow night. I was thinking of taking her to Tony’s party. I told her I’m a security consultant and got the invite through work, so don’t act overly familiar with me if you see us.” 

“So you planning on telling her about the ‘ant thing’ if things get serious?” Tony asked.

“Maybe eventually, but definitely not anytime soon,” Scott replied. “You know how private I am about my identity. Plus I’d be putting her in danger if I told her. We’ve all got enemies. Although if I went ahead and told her it’d probably score some points -  she DID say that Ant-man was her favorite Avenger.” Scott grinned. 

“And you’re SURE she doesn’t already know? That would have to be the only way a woman would ever say that you’re her favorite,” Sam ribbed good-naturedly.

Scott threw a poker chip at him, which Sam easily dodged, laughing all the while. “I’m just messing with you, man. I’m glad you’re interested in someone.”

“Thanks,” Scott replied, then set his cards down. “Full house, bitches!”

There were groans all around as Scott collected the pot of poker chips.

**************

Promptly at 7 pm the following evening, Scott knocked on Y/N’s door. He was looking down and fiddling with his suit cuffs when she answered.

“Hey, Y/N, you rea-” He looked up at Y/N and was stunned into silence. Y/N wore a beautiful  [ black & red vintage-looking dress ](http://rockabillypinup.blogspot.com/2016/03/verona-dress-dragonfly.html) with a lace bodice, a sheer black wrap, and  [ black & red pumps ](https://www.shoes.com/pleaser-bliss-30-2/241341/517061?cm_mmc=googleproductads_pla-_-none-_-none-_-none) to match. Scott swallowed. “Wow, you look amazing.”

“Thank you,” Y/N replied softly, a hint of a blush on her cheeks. “You look great too.” Scott had chosen a simple black suit, one of the few he owned for undercover missions with the Avengers.

Scott extended his arm. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

They walked downstairs and Y/N gasped at the limo that was waiting for them. “Mr. Lang, Ms. Y/L/N,” the driver said, opening the door. Scott made a mental note to thank Tony later for his help.

“Shall we?” Scott said, gesturing for Y/N to slide into the limo. Before he got in, Scott said, “Thanks, Happy.” Happy nodded. “Mr. Stark filled me in,” he said quietly. “No worries.”

The ride started out quiet, but then Y/N asked, “you said you got the invitation through work?”

“Uh, yeah,” Scott replied. “I did some consulting for Stark Industries a while ago. Mr. Stark was grateful.”

“Wow, that's really cool.” Y/N fiddled with her wrap. “Hey, um, I'm dressed okay, right? I mean, there’ll probably be a lot of glamorous people there. I probably should’ve worn something a little fancier.”

_ Does she really not know how gorgeous she is?  _ Scott thought. “You look beautiful - breathtaking, even,” he insisted.  

“I'm nervous,” Y/N admitted. “I’ve heard that these parties get a little crazy.”

“It'll be fine. Tony is actually a really nice guy once you get to know him, and the media exaggerates how wild his parties get. It's mostly just people milling around & networking.”

“We're here, folks,” Happy said. The door opened and Scott offered his hand to Y/N. “You ready?”

His hand tingled as Y/N nodded and placed her hand in his. He gave Y/N’s hand a reassuring squeeze as they stepped out of the limo. He led her into the building where about 80 people were all drinking champagne & talking. 

Scott grabbed a couple of glasses of champagne off a passing server’s tray and handed one to Y/N, who took a grateful sip. “Thank you,” she said to Scott, whose reply was cut off by Tony. “Scott! How nice to see you again,” Tony said, clapping Scott on the back.  _ Here we go,  _ Scott thought.

“Tony,” Scott replied. “Thank you so much for the invite.”

“Anytime,” Tony turned to Y/N. “And who is this lovely young lady?”

“Y/N, this is Tony Stark. Tony, this is my date, Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Stark,” Y/N said, shaking his hand. 

“Please, call me Tony. Mr. Stark was my father.”

“Tony,” Y/N repeated with a smile.

“Would you mind ever so terribly if I borrowed Scott here for a minute or two?” Tony asked. “I'm thinking of doing a couple more security upgrades and would like his opinion.”

“I don't think-” Scott started to say.

“Oh, no, go right ahead,” Y/N said.

“You sure?” Scott asked her. 

“Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll just stay here until you get back.”

Tony and Scott walked off, Tony saying, “Well I was thinking of upgrading the cameras in the foyer….”

As soon as they were out of earshot Tony dropped the act. “Wow, her picture does NOT do her justice.”

Scott grinned. “She’s beautiful, isn't she?” He glanced over to where Pepper had just walked up to Y/N and was talking with her. “I just… I don't know, man. There's something about her.”

“Well, anyway, the team is going to want to meet her, so be prepared to have them bump into you. Well, everyone except Peter and Wanda - they went to a movie since Peter’s still technically underage.”

The guys made their way back to Y/N and Pepper. “Hey, babe.”  Pepper gave Tony a quick kiss. “Scott, nice to see you again. I was just getting to know your neighbor.”

“Pepper, always a pleasure,” Scott replied. “Tony, I'll get with you on Monday about those upgrade estimates.”

“Sounds good. Y/N, lovely to meet you. Shall we?” Tony offered his arm to Pepper and they went off to go greet more guests.


	7. Y/N

“Sorry about that,” Scott said. 

“It's ok,” Y/N replied. “I know how important networking is, especially with repeat clients - and even more importantly with clients as influential as Tony Stark. Besides, Pepper kept me company. She was super nice, and so down to earth.”

“Yeah, Pepper's cool,” Scott agreed.

The string quartet that had been hired started to play, so she & Scott danced for a while, then decided to take a break and sit at a table that was miraculously empty.

As Y/N sat down, Scott asked, “Would you like another drink?” Y/N nodded. “A glass of white wine and a bottle of water would actually be great.” 

“I’ll be right back.”

Scott had only been gone a few moments before a voice asked, “Do you mind if we join you?”  Y/N looked up.  _ Oh my God, _ she thought. 

Before her stood Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Bucky Barnes, and Sam Wilson, aka Captain America, Black Widow, the former Winter Soldier, and the Falcon themselves.

“There aren't any other tables that have this many seats available,” Steve explained when Y/N didn't immediately answer. 

“Oh no, I don’t mind,” Y/N hurried to say, gesturing toward the empty seats.

The four of them sat down. “I’m Steve, and this is Natasha, Bucky, and Sam.”

“I’m Y/N. Nice to meet y’all.”

“I love your dress,” Natasha said. 

“Oh, um, thank you,” Y/N said. “Yours is gorgeous too.” Y/N had instant dress envy. Natasha wore a beautiful floor-length black dress with a daring slit up the side.

“So, Y/N, how are you doing tonight?” Sam asked.

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m just waiting for my date to get back from the bar.” 

Scott walked up a few moments later and slid into the last empty seat at the table next to Y/N. “Y/N, sorry I took so long. There was a bit of a line.” He handed Y/N her wine and water then looked at the newcomers. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Scott.”

Y/N sipped her water as Scott shook hands with the rest of their tablemates.  They had been making small talk for a bit when Steve asked Y/N to dance. “Of course, that’s if your date doesn't mind,” he added. “No, go ahead,” Scott said, nodding at Steve.  “Ok then, um, sure,” Y/N took Steve's offered hand and was led to the dance floor as the string quartet started another song.

“So how are you liking New York?” Steve asked as they swayed to the music.

“It's certainly different from home, that's for sure,” Y/N chuckled. “But it's been ok so far.” 

Steve nodded. “New York is really a great city once you get used to it.”

“I love the culture here,” Y/N continued. “Broadway, all the museums, the New York Public Library… it's such an awesome building, and so many books! I could spend hours in there.” She blushed. “Sorry, I tend to geek out over stuff I'm passionate about.”

This drew a chuckle from Steve. “No, no, it's fine. Everyone geeks out over something.”

Y/N glanced over at their table to see Scott watching them. He flashed her an assured smile. 

Steve noticed her looking at Scott and asked, “so how long have you two been together?”

“Oh, um, we’re not. I mean, well, sorta.” She stopped and took a deep breath. “Actually this is our first date.”

“Oh, so how did you two meet?”

“Scott's my neighbor, and we accidentally ran into each other in the hall a couple of weeks ago which caused me to spill my supper, so we wound up eating together.” Y/N smiled fondly at the memory. “I guess you can say we bonded over Chinese food.”

The song ended and they walked back to their table.

“Thank you for the dance,” Y/N said to Steve. 

Steve nodded. “Thank  _ you _ . You're a lovely dance partner.”

Y/N stifled a yawn as she sat back down.

“ You ready to go?” Scott asked. 

“As much as I want to say no, I think I am, actually. It looks like the party’s starting to wind down anyway.” She turned to the rest of the group. “It was a pleasure meeting you all. And can I just say... and y’all probably hear this all the time, but thank y’all for what you do to keep the world safe.”

Sam chuckled. “Actually, you’d be surprised at how little we actually hear that - but you’re welcome. It’s nice to hear that we’re appreciated.”

Steve, Natasha, & Bucky all nodded in agreement.

Y/N and Scott said their farewells to the group and then found Tony & Pepper to tell them goodbye. 

“It was so lovely to meet you both,” Y/N said. 

“Lovely to meet you too,” Pepper replied.

“Same here,” Tony added. “Happy will see you two home.  Scott, I’ll talk to you Monday.”

The limo ride back to their apartment building was a quiet but pleasant one. Y/N's heart fluttered as Scott took her hand as he helped her out of the limo and continued to hold it as they thanked Happy and walked up the stairs to their apartment floor. They stopped in front of Y/N’s door. “I had an amazing time tonight,” she said. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“I had a great time too,” Scott replied. He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, a gesture Y/N was coming to recognize as something Scott did when he was nervous. 

Y/N tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and bit her lip. 

They had stood there in silence for a few seconds when suddenly they heard a voice. 

“Oh, just kiss her already, would ya!?”

They looked over to see old Mr. Jenkins, Y/N’s neighbor across the hall in 7-C, watching them in exasperation.

“Um, hi Mr. Jenkins,” Y/N said. “How are you this evening?” She had forgotten that Mr. Jenkins always left around this time to go to his job as an overnight security guard.

Mr. Jenkins shook his head, muttering as he locked his door and shuffled down the hall towards the stairs. “Darn young people, always taking things so slow. It’s no wonder…”

Y/N turned back to Scott, whose shoulders were shaking with the effort to not burst out in laughter.

“Well, you heard the man,” he said with a grin as he lowered his lips to hers.

Y/N had been thinking about what it would be like to kiss Scott since their almost-kiss a week ago.  _ It's even better than I imagined, _ she thought, as Scott gently pulled her even closer to deepen the kiss. She shuddered with pleasure as Scott's hands trailed up her bare arms. 

Scott broke the kiss ( _ too soon _ , Y/N thought) and caressed Y/N’s cheeks with his thumbs, then gave her a wry grin. “I should send Mr. Jenkins a thank-you card.”

Y/N laughed and gave Scott one more kiss. “Goodnight, Scott.”

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

Y/N let herself into her apartment and as she closed the door she thought,  _ a very good night indeed. _


	8. Scott

The next few months seemed to go by in a blur. Scott & Y/N had been on several dates and had been spending as much time together as possible, but hadn't yet had the ‘exclusivity’ talk, even though neither Scott nor Y/N had been seeing anyone else.  They were currently getting ready to watch a movie in Y/N’s apartment, Scott turning the TV on a news broadcast while Y/N was popping some popcorn. Y/N had just settled on the sofa next to Scott when a new segment came on. A mid-level criminal that Scott had caught a few years prior named Vincent D’Agostino had apparently been paroled and was being released the following week.

Y/N grabbed a couple of pieces of popcorn. “Oh, I remember that case. He was the guy smuggling drugs into the NY harbor using imported cheese wheels.”

Scott remembered that mission all too well. He didn't eat cheese for almost 6 months after that.

“Hey, look, your boyfriend's on TV,” he said jokingly. Some old footage of Scott (as Ant-Man) subduing D'Agostino was currently airing.

Y/N gave Scott a playful nudge with her elbow. “Ha, ha, very funny.” 

As the segment ended, Scott took the bowl of popcorn from Y/N and placed it on the coffee table. _ Speaking of me as your boyfriend _ … “Hey, can I talk to you about something?”

“Sure. What is it? Is… is something wrong?” Y/N was starting to look panicked.

Scott took her hand and shook his head. “No, nothing's wrong. It's just… Cassie's coming into town next month to spend the summer with me, and I'd like you to meet her.”

Scott had debated introducing Cassie to Y/N. Although he & Y/N hadn’t been dating long, they had been spending as much time together as possible when Scott didn't have to go out of town for work, and he felt that things were going well enough for him to take the next step in their relationship, and that included introducing Y/N to Cassie.

Y/N visibly relaxed. “Oh, ok. That's fine. I'd love to meet her. I'd probably run into y'all in the hallway at some point while she's here anyway.”

“No, no. Well yeah, but…” Scott huffed out a breath. This wasn't going as planned. “I’d like you to meet her as… as my girlfriend.”

The way Y/N’s answering smile lit up her face erased any lingering doubts Scott may have had.“I'd really like that,” Y/N said softly. She leaned in and gave Scott a slow, sweet kiss, then snuggled up against him.

Scott put his arm around her and pulled her close to his side. He could definitely get used to this.

**********************************

A few weeks later, Scott & Y/N waited at the airport arrival gate for Cassie. Well, Scott waited while Y/N paced.

“What if she doesn't like me?” Y/N asked nervously, her southern accent adding a twang to the word 'like’.

Scott stopped her and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Don't worry, she's going to love you. The second she finds out you're a librarian you'll be her favorite person in the world.”

“ I hope so,” Y/N said under her breath. She was about to start pacing again when Scott heard a voice yell excitedly, “Dad!”

He turned as a blonde blur came running into him.

“Oof… Heya, Cass.” Scott hugged his daughter. “Wow, you're even taller than you were at Christmas!” He turned to Y/N. “Cassie, there's someone I want you to meet. This is Y/N, my girlfriend. Y/N, my daughter Cassie.”

Y/N held out her hand. “It's very nice to finally meet you, Cassie. Your dad’s told me a lot about you.” Y/N said. Cassie eyed Y/N for a few moments, then stuck her hand out as well. “Nice to meet you too,” she said politely.

“How was your flight?” Scott asked.

“Fine,” Cassie answered with a shrug. “It was nice to finally be able to fly without the flight attendant hovering over me every 5 seconds.” She grinned. “I actually managed to finish the book I was reading on the flight.”

“Oh, what book was that?” Y/N asked as they made their way to the baggage claim area.

_ “ _ ‘ _ Super Sarah Marches On’ _ by Miriam West,” Cassie replied. “She's my favorite writer.”

“Oh I love that book!” Y/N exclaimed. “Especially the part where Sarah has to go undercover at that rival school and falls for Brad, even though she has no idea that he's really -”

“-her arch-rival Mangus Twining!” Cassie finished excitedly. “I can't wait until the next book comes out. Six months more is too long to have to wait to know what happens next!”

Y/N grinned. “Would you like to read it early? I always wind up getting an advanced review copy a few months before publication.” She paused then said conspiratorially, “in fact, I can do one better - how would you also like to meet the author and have her sign the book you brought with you?”

Cassie's jaw dropped. “No way! Are you for real?”

Y/N laughed. “Yes, totally! Before I came to New York I helped out with my old library's annual book festival. We featured Miriam when her first  _ Super Sarah _ book came out and she & I became friends. She actually lives right outside of NYC, you know.”

“Oh my gosh, you're the coolest!” Cassie turned to Scott. “Can I, Dad?”

Scott laughed. “Of course, as soon as Y/N can set it up.”

“I’ll text her as soon as we get back,” Y/N promised.

Cassie jumped up & down with excitement. “This is so cool!” She launched herself at Y/N and hugged her. Y/N looked over Cassie's head at Scott, who winked then mouthed,  _ “I told you she'd love you.” _

_ As do I, _ he thought.


	9. Y/N

Y/N had decided to let Scott & Cassie have a night to themselves so Cassie could get settled in, so as soon as she got to her apartment Y/N made good on her promise and texted Miriam.

**_Hey M, are you in town?_ **

Miriam's response came in a few minutes later.

I'm at a conference this weekend but I'll be home on Sunday! 

**_Would you do me a huge favor? My boyfriend's 12-year-old daughter is visiting from San Francisco and LOVES the Sarah books. Would you mind meeting us for coffee in the city sometime next week and sign the first 2 Sarahs for her?_ **

Absolutely! You know I love meeting my readers, and we definitely need to catch up! Wednesday at 4 ok?

**_Perfect. Thanks, Mir._ **

Y/N texted Scott the confirmation and could hear Cassie's excited squeal coming from down the hall.

***********************************

The following Wednesday, Scott & Cassie met Y/N at the library and they walked to a nearby cafe’ to wait for Miriam. Y/N had given Cassie one of her extra copies of the first  _ Super Sarah _ book since Cassie's copy was back in San Francisco. A few minutes later, Miriam walked in. “Y/N, so good to see you!” she said and gave Y/N a hug. “And you two must be Scott & Cassie,” she added. 

Cassie nodded, clutching her books to her chest. 

Miriam sat, then rummaged in her bag and pulled out a couple of paperback books and a Sharpie. “Would you like me to sign those for you?” she asked Cassie.

“Yes, please,” Cassie said, handing Miriam her two books. 

Miriam wrote a message in each & signed them, then picked up one of the paperbacks she had brought.

“I just got these in yesterday,” she said, signing the paperbacks & sliding them over to Y/N and Cassie. “ARCs of  _ Super Sarah and the Big Bomb.  _ You're the first two to get these.”

“Thank you so much!” Cassie held her copy with reverence.

Cassie asked Miriam questions about the  _ Super Sarah _ series while the four of them visited over coffee. When it was time to leave, Miriam gave Cassie a big hug and thanked her for enjoying the  _ Super Sarah  _  books. She also hugged Y/N and said, “we’ll definitely have to hang out more often,” before leaving to go catch her train. After Miriam had left, Cassie turned to Y/N. “Thank you so so so much - you’re the coolest! My friends back home will never believe this!”

Y/N grinned. “You're very very welcome. Now, let's go home & get to reading!”


	10. Scott

Summer was over already and it was time for Cassie to go back to San Francisco. Scott wasn’t ready to let his little girl go.

Cassie & Y/N had bonded quicker than Scott would’ve even thought.   _ I guess having an ‘in’ with Cassie’s favorite author helped, _ he thought fondly. Cassie had spent about as much time hanging out with Y/N as she had with Scott. Y/N had taken Cassie to several museums, on a girls' spa day, and  to the New York Public Library, where they had geeked out over books for hours. Y/N had even taken Cassie to shop for Scott's Father's Day gift. 

The night before Cassie left, Y/N baked a lasagna at Scott's apartment since she had to work the next day and therefore wouldn't be able to go to the airport to drop Cassie off. Scott's heart warmed as Y/N gave Cassie a hug after dinner. “Have a safe flight, kiddo. I'll miss you.”

“I'll miss you too, Y/N,” Cassie replied. 

Y/N gave Scott a quick kiss. “I'll see you tomorrow evening, ok?”

“Ok,” Scott nodded. Y/N wished them a good evening and walked back to her apartment.

Scott sat on the sofa next to Cassie. 

“Hey, Dad?” Cassie asked.

“What is it, Cass?” Scott replied.

“If you wanted to marry Y/N, I'd be ok with that.”

Scott was taken aback. “Where did that come from? We haven't even been dating all that long.”

Cassie shrugged. “I overheard Tony and Cap the other day making a bet on when you were going to propose.”

Scott laughed. “Let’s not jump the gun here. We’ve only been exclusive for a few months, and we haven’t even said ‘I love you’ yet.”

“Dad, I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time, and you obviously love Y/N even though you haven’t said it yet - which by the way you totally should tell her because I know she loves you too - so one day you'll want to marry her, right? Just letting you know that I'm cool with it when you do. I like Y/N - she wouldn’t be a horrible stepmom.”

Scott chuckled. “Well ok then, thanks for your approval.” He nudged Cassie. “When did you get to be so smart?”

“Duh, Dad. I'm 12, not 2!”

****************************************************************************

Before dropping Cassie off at the airport the next morning, she had made Scott promise that he would tell Y/N that he loved her. Scott knew Cassie was right and that he shouldn’t put it off, so he sent Y/N a text.

**Can we have dinner at my place tonight?**

**_Sure_** _,_ Y/N texted back. **_See you around 6?_**

**Sounds great. See you then.**

_ Now to make sure everything is perfect.  _

By the time 6 o’clock rolled around, Scott had straightened his apartment, changed his clothes three times, cooked dinner ( _ thank you, Food Network _ ), and was currently nervously practicing how he was going to confess his love for Y/N.

_ So, Y/N… guess what? I love you!  _ No.

_ Y/N, my 12-year-old daughter made me promise to tell you that I love you, so... there you go.  _ Absolutely not.

_ Y/N, these past few months have been the best of my life… _ Not quite. That sounded too much like a proposal, and while Scott was pretty sure he’d eventually make it to that point, now wasn’t the time.

He ran his hands through his hair. “Ugh, why is this so difficult?” he muttered as Y/N knocked on his door.

He let Y/N in and gave her a passionate kiss hello.

“Well, good to see you too,” Y/N said playfully. “Cassie made it home ok?”

“Yep, her flight landed in San Francisco about an hour ago.”

Y/N looked around the empty apartment. “I miss her already. She’s such a great kid.”

Scott smiled and nodded. “She really is. And wise, too.” He gestured towards the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready.”

Y/N followed Scott into the kitchen. “You actually cooked?” she said with a grin.

“With some help from Food Network,” Scott joked. “So how was work?” he asked as they sat down to eat.

“Work was fine,” Y/N answered, then took a sip of wine. “After work though…” she trailed off.

“Did something happen?”

“I could’ve sworn I was being followed on my way home. In fact, the past month or so I’ve had that feeling of being watched a lot.“ Y/N chuckled. “I’ve been here almost 7 months and I still feel like a tourist sometimes. I have to practice becoming a jaded New Yorker.”

“Do you want me to start walking you home from work?” Scott asked.

Y/N shook her head. “It’s probably nothing. I’m just being paranoid.”

Scott made a mental note to somehow keep an eye on Y/N while she was walking to & from work. Something didn’t seem right.

After dinner, he & Y/N decided to have dessert in the living room, so Scott put on some soft music while Y/N warmed them each a slice of the homemade apple cobbler she had baked the previous day.

Y/N handed Scott his plate and sat next to him on the couch.

Scott took a bite of his cobbler. “Mmmph,” he mumbled, “this is so good. Everything you make is wonderful.”

Y/N winked playfully. “I know you're only with me for my cooking skills.”

Scott laughed. “Yes, I'd starve without you.” Y/N leaned in and gave Scott a long, slow kiss. Scott pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, tasting the sweetness of the apple cobbler combined with the unique flavor of Y/N.

Scott poured his whole heart and soul into this kiss, leaving both him & Y/N breathless in the process.

He leaned his forehead against Y/N's, cradling her face with his hands.  _ Here goes _ . “I love you,” he breathed.

Y/N’s eyes flew open and she leaned slightly back in surprise. “What did you just say?”

“I love you, Y/N,” Scott repeated.

Scott had always thought that Y/N’s smile was as radiant as the sun, but he had been wrong - it was even  _ more  _ radiant. Y/N relaxed back into his embrace. “I love you too,” she said softly, kissing Scott again then snuggling her face into the crook of his neck, breathing him in. Scott's heart soared. This woman, this  _ incredible _ woman, loved him back. 

Too bad he was still keeping his biggest secret from her.


	11. Y/N

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for assault & kidnapping.

The fall semester had just started, so Y/N’s hours at the library had changed to include 1 late night a week helping out the flagship library, which put Y/N walking home after 1 AM. She didn't want Scott to worry about her so she didn't say anything else, but over the next few weeks her unease over the feeling of being followed increased. She definitely felt like someone was watching her.

Y/N had locked up the library and waved goodbye to Peter, one of the undergrad students who had frequented the library almost every day so far that semester researching quantum mechanics until closing. She started home and had only gotten two blocks off of campus when she started to get that uneasy feeling again.  She quickened her pace and had just turned down an alley when someone grabbed her and quickly covered her mouth with their hand. Y/N could feel the cold steel of a knife at her throat. “Scream and I'll kill you,” a voice hissed in her ear.

The man dragged her into a nearby warehouse. As soon as he lowered the knife and closed the door, Y/N stomped on his foot and then elbowed him in the stomach. He loosened his hold on her just enough to where she was able to run, but she was quickly caught by another man who had been lurking by the door. The first man stomped up to her. “Oh, you're going to pay for that, bitch,” he growled menacingly, then slapped Y/N hard across the face, making her dizzy. The two men tied her hands and feet together and dragged her to a corner of the room.

The first man pulled his knife back out. “I said I'd make you pay.” He grabbed Y/N’s face roughly and slowly grazed the knife along her cheek, making her whimper in fear. 

A voice suddenly remarked, “now now Roy, we need her unharmed.”

The goon whose name was apparently Roy let her go. “Just having a little fun, boss,” he mumbled. Y/N looked up.

The man that stood before Y/N was vaguely familiar. “Who are you? What do you want with me?” she asked. 

“Oh, it's not you I want,” the man replied casually, taking Y/N’s phone from her pocket and walking back to the room he had just come from, followed by his two henchmen, one of whom gagged Y/N before leaving. “It's your boyfriend.”


	12. Scott

Scott had offered to walk Y/N home from work on her late nights since Y/N had thought that she was being followed, but Y/N had declined, saying that she didn't want Scott to worry and that she was probably just being paranoid anyway. He had asked Peter to keep an eye on Y/N during her late nights just in case. 

He was just dozing off on his sofa when his phone rang and Peter’s name flashed on the screen.

“Peter, what’s up?”

Peter’s voice was hurried. “Scott, Y/N’s gone missing. I lost sight of her for one second and now she’s gone, and I can’t find her anywhere. I’m so sorry, man. I don’t know how it happened.”

“Ok, wait, calm down,” Scott ran his free hand through his hair. “Where are you?” 

“I’m about 3 blocks from NYU heading towards your apartment.”

“Ok, well -” his call-waiting beeped and this time Y/N’s name flashed on his screen. “Actually, Peter, Y/N’s calling in now. Go on home, ok? I'll talk to you later.” He flashed over.

“Y/N, are you ok?” 

A low chuckle came from the other end of the line. “She's fine… for now.”

Scott went cold with fear. “Who is this?” he demanded. “Where’s Y/N? I swear if you hurt her I'll--”

“If you want to find out come to the old factory on Bleecker Street. Come alone. If I even  _ think _ that someone's with you she'll be dead before you can even blink.” 

Another chuckle. “I’ll be waiting, Scott… or should I say Ant-Man?” Then the line went dead.

Scott immediately jumped up and ran to get his Ant-Man suit. 


	13. Y/N

Y/N struggled fruitlessly against her bonds.  _ Scott? What does he want with Scott? _ Y/N figured that maybe whoever this guy was wanted Scott for his hacking skills. She was grateful that Cassie had already gone back to California. She could try to convince Scott to not do whatever it was this guy wanted him to do with just her being held hostage, but if Cassie had been involved…

Y/N shuddered. She didn't even want to  _ think _ about that possibility.

Soon the two lackeys, whom Y/N had dubbed Goon 1 & Goon 2, returned. “Boss said to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't try to escape or anything,” Goon 2 said. 

“Yeah,” Goon 1 chimed in, pulling his knife out again, “'cause if you do, I get to have some fun.”

Y/N glared at them.

“Ooh, feisty,” Goon 2 laughed, then grunted as he was punched in the stomach by an invisible force.

Wait - not invisible… tiny!

Y/N watched with relief as Ant-Man grew to normal size and knocked Goon 2 out with a brick to the face. He then threw a roundhouse kick at Goon 1, knocking the knife out of his hand. He shrank and grew again in quick succession, managing to knock Goon 1 out much like he had Goon 2.

He had turned back to Y/N when they both heard a slow clap. The smarmy leader guy was leaning against the doorway to the other room.

“Wow,” he said. “You're even more impressive than I remember.”

“D’Agostino,” Ant-Man said. “I should've guessed. Moving on to assault and kidnapping - what, drug running wasn't exciting enough for you?”

_ Of course _ . Y/N knew that guy had looked familiar. He was the drug dealer that Ant-Man had put away several years ago who had been paroled a few months back.  _ But that still doesn't explain what he had wanted with Scott _ …

Y/N didn't have time to think about that right now. D’Agostino was too busy talking. Y/N rolled her eyes.  _ Why do the bad guys always have to reveal their entire nefarious plan before they get on with it? _

“-I’ve had a few upgrades since we last met,” D'Agostino was saying.  _ Uh oh. That doesn't sound good. _

Y/N flinched as D’Agostino shot a blast of energy from his hands, catching Ant-Man by surprise and knocking him into the wall. 

Ant-Man shook his head and regained his bearings. 

Y/N watched helplessly as Ant-Man & D’Agostino traded blows. Finally Ant-Man managed to knock D’Agostino into an old pile of bricks, where he appeared to be knocked out.

Ant-Man ran back to Y/N.

“Are you ok?” He asked frantically, undoing her gag.

Y/N nodded as he untied her hands & feet. She stood and kicked Goon # 1. “Not so tough now, are you?” She turned back to Ant-Man. “Thank you so much for saving my life.  “I can’t even -” Y/N’s eyes grew wide. “Look out!” She cried as the pile of bricks exploded and D’Agostino sent a blast of energy their way.

Ant-Man managed to get out of the way, but Y/N wasn't so lucky. She was slammed against the wall, where she hit her head and everything went black.

What felt like only moments later she heard a voice. “Y/N! Y/N, can you hear me?” Someone was cradling her and brushing her hair out of her face. Y/N opened her eyes and Scott came into bleary focus. “Are you alright?” He asked.

"Scott?" Y/N said dazedly, then passed back out.


	14. Y/N

_ Man, what a strange dream,  _ Y/N thought. Being attacked while walking home, Ant-Man coming to her rescue, Scott checking to make sure she was ok --

Y/N's eyes flew open and she sat up quickly, then groaned and lay back down. Everything hurt. She sat up more slowly and looked around. She was in a strange room that didn't quite resemble a hospital room, but she definitely wasn't at her apartment. The room was painted a soft cream with white trim and had hardwood floors. There was a nightstand next to the bed that she was in, with a vase of white roses on it. And standing next to the nightstand was Scott, wearing Ant-Man's suit.  _ HIS Ant-Man suit. _

"Oh thank God you're awake," he said. “I've been worried sick about you.”

Y/N blinked at him. "You're Ant-Man?"   _What the HELL???_ she thought.

"Umm... I can explain --" Scott began.

" _ You're Ant-Man?"  _ she repeated. _ Oh. My. GOD. _

"I wanted to tell you, but --"

_ "YOU'RE FREAKING ANT-MAN!?" _

"Yes?"

"Oh my God. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. You’re Ant-Man. You're a freaking superhero. Oh my God. I'm dating Ant-Man. Un-freaking-believable.”

"Well, yes, but it's really not that big a deal. I'm still me."

Y/N just blinked at him some more then looked around again. "Where exactly am I, anyway?"

"Medical ward at Avengers HQ," Scott replied. 

"Avengers HQ. Of course, because apparently my  _ boyfriend _ is freaking _ Ant-Man _ ." Y/N sat back, exhausted. "I honestly can't even process this right now." 

They were interrupted by Vision entering the room.

"Ahh, good, Ms. Y/N. You're awake. Preliminary scans show no broken bones or severe head trauma. It appears that Scott arrived just in time. You'll be a bit sore for a day or so, but there will be no lasting damage." Y/N just stared at Vision in wonder.

As soon as he exited Y/N turned back to Scott. "You did save my life," she said quietly. "Thank you."

"Of course," Scott said, taking her hand. "You have to know that I kept my identity a secret to protect you, right? I have no idea how D’Agostino found out.” He paused and took Y/N’s hand. “I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you."

Y/N gave Scott's hand a squeeze. "I know. It's just a lot to process, having your boyfriend turn out to be a real, live superhero - which by the way, about all those times you teased me about Ant-Man being my favorite Avenger--"

Scott smirked. "Hey, that's right. I  _ AM  _ your favorite superhero, aren't I?"

Y/N tugged Scott closer for a kiss. "Ant-Man or not, you'll always be my favorite superhero."


End file.
